Mahogany Bay

Next we visited Mahogany Bay.  The dock area was actually built by Carnival cruise lines.  We purchased an excursion at that port.  That actually was a good idea because since the port was privately owned there weren't a bunch of drivers available at the dock.  There is a good private beach to go to.  However....have you seen my husband?  We werent' interested in the beach.

We went to Gumbalimba Park.

We saw some Green Iguanas.

Did some walking around in the beautiful park.  I loved the lush vegetation.

Saw some birds.

And monkeys.

They even had a private beach we could go to if we wanted.

We took the bus back to the ship, driving through town.

Jason and Tasha spent the day at the beach. They said it was very nice.

On to our last port of call.

Belize

Belize was another stop where we didn't have an excursion planned.  The large ships are not able to dock because of reefs so we took tenders (boats) into the dock.  At the dock there were lots of opportunities to hire taxis and such.  We decided to do a tour of Belize.  Larissa wanted to stay at Camp Carnival but Anthony had to come because of his behaviors the day before.

We visited a 5 Barrel Rum factory.  We purchased some Blackberry Wine there.  Guess we aren't rum folks...they gave us samples of rum and wine.

I realized that I didn't know much about Belize.  I had assumed that it would be a Hispanic country but I was wrong.  Their language is English. 

They have squatters rights in some areas.  They have to build a home to claim the space. The area where the squatters built homes do not have water and electricity so this well is the main source of water for the area.

This home collects rain water.  You can see the barrel on the front of the house.

We visited St. John's Cathedral.  It was built in 1812.

We did some shopping at a market and took pictures with some interesting people.

Then we took the tender back to the ship.

There was another Carnival ship outside of the reefs.

We were welcomed to our room by our daily towel art creations.

Larissa had fun at Camp Carnival and made a build a bear and Teddy.

She was ready for some fun so we took her to the slide.

It was a great day.

First Day at Sea and Cozumel

Life aboard ship included lots of eating.........often.  I do believe that some of us gained a little weight.

At Cozumel we docked next to another Carnival ship and were able to walk into town by way of a dock.  The weather was hot and humid.  Anthony and Larissa only lasted a little while before they wanted to go back to the ship.  We took them back and signed them into Camp Carnival.  They were happy to go. 

Shopping at this port was pretty good.  Prices were decent and you could bargain.

We hadn't signed up for an excursion at this stop so we decided to take a tour on one of the horse carriages.  Jason and Tasha had taken off on their own and rented a scooter.

Sarah joined us on our tour.

Seems like every country has graffiti issues.

We visited a Catholic church.

We got a pretty good look at the area. 

The beach along this area is quite rocky.

When we got back on ship we went and picked up the kids.  Unfortunately Anthony just can't seem to let up on his need to be in control. When we signed him out they said the dreaded words, "Will you please talk to your son about his behavior"  Ouch

Larissa had a great time and got a face painting.

Off to the next port of call.....Belize.

Having Fun

Larissa

Larissa and Anthony had their first snorkeling experience today.  Last port of call and we are heading home.  I do believe that we have all gained a few pounds.

On Vacation

We are having a great vacation.  I would love to load some pictures but the internet at sea is extremely slow.  I guess I shouldn't complain since we do have internet when we are in the middle of nowhere!

This will be my last post until we get back.

Come back Monday if you are curious about our cruise.

Have a great day!

The Ocean is Huge!

Hello from somewhere in the middle of the ocean.  Security felt about the same as getting on a plane except that when we looked out the window we saw a cruise ship instead of a plane.

This is mainly a picture post since internet is not cheap out in the middle of the ocean.

Tampa

The older kids are just a few rooms down.

It is nice to have built in babysitters.  Tasha watched the kids while we went to a comedy show.  Sarah is babysitting tonight for another show.



Sarah got her first virgin pina collata.

More to come..........